NCJ Number
169669
Date Published
1991
Length
327 pages
Annotation
This volume uses case studies to examine the roles and activities of Federal prosecutors and marshals in States and territories in the south and west between 1870 and 1893.
Abstract
The research uses contemporary accounts and letters between the Washington, D.C. office of the Department of Justice and its attorneys and marshals in the States and territories. It examines the nature of Federal law enforcement in the Reconstruction in Mississippi, in addressing polygamy among Mormons in Utah, in dealing with alcohol moonshining in Tennessee, and in frontier Arizona. The discussion focuses on the evolution of the criminal justice system in the United States; the relationship of the south and the west to the rest of the United States; the operation of the Federal bureaucracy in the 19th century; and the conflict between the local, State, and Federal governments. The analysis concludes that in comparison with modern Federal law enforcement personnel, United States attorneys and marshals in 1870-93 experienced major barriers, including a lack of official funds, lack of attention from their superiors, and strong resistance in the communities in which they served. Nevertheless, they often achieved a strong record of law enforcement; their recommendations and lobbying efforts resulted in the modern Federal system of justice. Tables, photographs, map, chapter reference notes, index, and reference lists